On “ontological shock and the indigestible truth”

Like most of us, I've been hearing these phrases repeated for the last 3–5 years like a broken record. At this point, the term "ontological shock" has become almost as tiresome as hearing "unprecedented times" during COVID. That said, I think the repeated use of these phrases may actually provide a clue about what is going on behind the scenes when viewed through the lens of basic human nature. My hypothesis is this: if there is going to be a truly destabilizing "ontological shock," it is mor...